The Red Velvet Lawyer

Can it Sustain the Success as  Businesses Re-Open? During the last week of June, Qatar saw an increasing decline in new cases.  Qatari officials began to talk about being past the peak of infection.  The contemplated a four phase re-opening .  A partial re-opening began June 15, with precautions put in place to prevent a spike in cases.  July 1 brought Phase 2 of the re-opening, with more shops, mosques, and outdoor venues re-opening.  See my June post for more information about the rules governing the Phase 2 reopening.  Officials stressed that the transition from one stage to anothe r is subject to the cooperation of all members of society and their application of precautionary measures, and the need to adhere to the procedures in place determined by the Council of Ministers.  It advises family members to limit visits to other family members and keep them to no longer than 15 minutes.  As Qatar marked these milestones, a different story unfolded in the US.  During th

Ongoing Efforts to Curb the Coronavirus: Fear, Frustration, Fatigue, & Family Infections May Recap: The month of May saw public health concerns collide with cultural norms associated with Ramadan and the Eid-al-Fitr holiday.  Ramadan began on April 23 with the Eid holiday in Qatar beginning on May 24 and ending on May 30. Government officials warned people to continue to stay-at-home during this season and avoid any inter-family meals, visits, or celebrations.  It continued to ban congregational prayer at mosques.  While it relaxed the rules on take-a-way meals from restaurants, it continued precautionary measures.  As Eid approached, officials imposed further pre-cautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus.  They required people to wear masks when they left their homes, to install a contact notification app called EHTERAZ to help people learn when they had had close contact with an infected person, and limit the number of persons in vehicles.  They continue